Macedon Ranges Residents’ Association published an assessment of this year’s Macedon Ranges council election candidates, calling for increased public awareness of the council’s governance practices.
According to the association’s website, the assessments were based on almost 30 years of committee experience observing council performance, its own research, and questioning candidates’ knowledge of council’s duties and their capacity to represent all of the community while ensuring the region’s environment is protected.
Within East Ward, the association rated Cassy Borthwick as first choice and Andrew Scanlon as second, which Macedon Ranges Residents’ Association secretary Christine Pruneau said was because they have “shown an ability to look further afield than where they live”.
In South Ward, former councillor Rob Guthrie was rated as first and candidate Alison Joseph as second.
“Rob Guthrie’s been a councillor for quite some time too … within the South Ward and across the whole shire really … he has a reputation of doing the work,” Ms Pruneau said.
“Alison has run before … she’s been out and about in the community for years and she’s very much able to get across the issues.”
In West Ward, former councillor Jennifer Anderson was voted as first on the candidate list, stating that she has shown “excellence and experience.”
“I think she’s proven that over time – she first got elected in 2012. There’s been a real air of professionalism [that has] come into the chamber because of her mayoral capabilities,” Ms Pruneau said.
Ms Pruneau said the majority of complaints the association received about the council this term were around governance issues rather than decisions.
“Since the new local government act came in, the council has had to prepare a lot of policies and practices and principles … it may be useful for the council to re-explain what those things are and what they do in regard to the types of issues they address so that people have a better understanding of what [the] council [is] working through,” she said.
“Because not all of these complaints about governance really stand up. Some of it is a misunderstanding of where council’s got to come from.”
Details: www.mrra.asn.au/
